SysMedia to Incorporate Aurix Detector in Subtitling Software

LONDON, UK - SysMedia, a UK-based company specialising in software solutions for the television industry, has signed up to the latest speech detection software from 20/20 Speech - Aurix(r) detector. Aurix detector identifies the occurrence of speech - regardless of the language - in any audio recording, whether it accompanies video footage, dialogue in a television broadcast or call center recordings. The occurrences are noted and then used as guides for transcribers, who previously would have time stamped speech segments manually. The automation of this action can save time and effort in a wide range of applications from subtitle preparation to audio indexing and call monitoring. Files can be processed 10 to 15 times faster than by hand, which means that one hour of material could be processed in under four minutes. SysMedia is integrating the file-based version of Aurix detector into its popular WinCAPS subtitle preparation software to speed up off-line subtitling of recorded DVD video and TV programs. Instead of manually stepping backwards and forwards through the video's audio track, Aurix detector automatically determines the start (and end) of a period of speech and hence the precise in-cue time when the subtitle must appear on the screen. The subtitler can then also use these timings as a rapid video navigation tool to move more quickly from one speech segment to the next. The obvious time and cost saving benefits of this technology were immediately evident to SysMedia. Richard Oppé, Managing Director, SysMedia elaborates: "Our clients process substantial amounts of video with the average feature film requiring well over 1,000 individual subtitles, timed precisely to coincide with the soundtrack. The addition of Aurix detector to our WinCAPS subtitling software package will perfectly complement our own video shot change analysis tool and guarantee a faster turn around." Commenting on this latest agreement, Ian Brotherston, 20/20 Speech's Managing Director said: "Our latest technology, Aurix detector, is part of our growing family of speech content management tools. We now offer content management solutions across a range of disciplines - from the media to legal industries and the adoption of our technology by SysMedia, one of the UK's leading broadcast content production and management specialists, is further proof that our solutions offer significant time and cost benefits to our customers."